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Belarusians who took part in last August's protests were detained in the notorious Okrestina prison in Minsk. A year on, many are still suffering from the effects of torture and abuse. DW spoke with some of them.
Democracy activists Svetlana Alexievich and Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya were in Berlin for the premiere of Aliaksei Paluyan's documentary on Belarus, "Courage."
Belarus: Lukashenko slams dumb Germany torture trial
A group of lawyers in Germany have accused the Belarusian president, dubbed Europe s last dictator, of crimes against humanity during anti-government protests.
Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko hit back at a legal complaint against him
Lukashenko said Friday that the heirs of fascism were in no position to judge him, in reference to Germany s Nazi past. I do not reproach them. But they are the heirs of the generations who unleashed that war, Lukashenko said, referring to World War II. It s a dumb move.
The official Belta news agency quoted Belarus president two days before the country commemorates the Soviet Union s victory over Nazi Germany.
Belarus regime turns on artists and journalists
Protests are more muted these days in Belarus. But despite increasing repression, cultural figures continue to express opposition on World Press Freedom Day.
Last August, Belarusians took to the streets across the nation to protest 26 years of autocratic rule. They claimed that President Alexander Lukashenko had again rigged the vote to claim an overwhelming victory in the latest presidential election.
Under the red and white flag of the uprising, hundreds of thousands of protesters demanded free and fair elections, and for strongman Lukashenko to step down in the face of arrests, torture and intimidation.